


Teaching Concepts, Void

by icarus_chained



Series: Creation-Connection [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Artificial Intelligence, Families of Choice, Gen, Protectiveness, Violence, learning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-31
Updated: 2012-07-31
Packaged: 2017-11-11 03:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/473881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarus_chained/pseuds/icarus_chained
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dummy did not know where he was. He did not know <i>how</i> he was, could not tally the extent of the damage without sensors, could not keep hold of the concept for long enough. Damage. Extreme damage.</p><p>Companion piece to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/450830">Silver Linings</a>. Basically Dummy's POV of the attack/aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teaching Concepts, Void

There had been pain/damage-registry, a flare of panicked signals from the sensors over his arm, clustered over his CPU, a brief surge of overriding warning and aborted attempts at compensation. And then ... void/negative space/sensor failure. Detachment, disorientation. A black-out so complete he did not understand, a sensation like to shut-down, but he remained _aware_. Flailing interrogatives into nothingness, finding no response.

Pressure sensors flared across his body, registering impact along one side. With what, he didn't know. He registered some further damage, probably, hopefully, minor. He dropped it automatically down his priority queue. It meant nothing, against the larger concerns.

Dummy did not know where he was. He did not know _how_ he was, could not tally the extent of the damage without sensors, could not keep hold of the concept for long enough. Damage. Extreme damage. Non-functionality, he was not functioning, that _did not make sense_. He could not be non-functional, and still exist. There was no precedent for failed interrogatives, no memory coded into him of a void such as this.

He was non-functional. He was damaged. He was lost.

Irrelevant. Irrelevant. Gunshots registered. Intruders registered. Damage to Dummy. More urgent, peaking on the priority queue, attempted damage to _Tony-Stark_. Damage to creating unit probable. In progress? In the void beyond failed interrogatives? Time measure still functioning, seconds only. Not enough time, for critical damage to have occurred to Tony-Stark.

Correct? Yes? Please, correct?

He sent out bursts. Motors and servos, commands for the body he still registered around him to move, to function. Pressure sensors flared, registering obstruction along one side, a surface. Wall? Floor? Some surface, against which he was scraping. Simultaneously, he sent out wireless interrogatives, flailing in the still-functional senses for JARVIS. For confirmation, information. For a sensor net to slave to his own non-functional one, for some means of breaking the void/space around him. Information. He needed information.

The wireless outreaching failed. Pinging into void, he registered JARVIS' presence, registered the continued existence of his more-recent/larger/complex companion, the other AI. But JARVIS, for reasons undefined, did not/could not respond.

Damage? Damage, to _JARVIS_? Damage, damage, non-functional, all AIs non-functional, they were _failing_ , where was Tony-Stark? Damage to Tony-Stark?

The pressure sensation along his side peaked as he clawed wildly, dragging his limb-body violently along the surface, as urgency-registers and interrogatives tripped over each other in his CPU, and then ...

Then he registered something else. Another pressure, underneath his arm-head, light and controlled and powerful. He jerked automatically, twitched beneath it, and the pressure changed, multiple points, clustered together, moving independantly, and it took some micro-seconds for Dummy's beleaguered processor to recognise the sensation, to attach memory-files to the current situation.

Hand. Tony-Stark, touching him. Rubbing just under his arm-head, a sensation Dummy had learned many, many minutes/months/years ago. Affection/caring/positive, good-boy, work-done. Complete.

Tony-Stark present. Tony-Stark functional. _Tony-Stark_.

The urgency-registers tripped down, decreased incrementally, and Dummy ceased moving. Registering new points of pressure over him, creating a proxy-map/model of sensation likened to previous memories of Tony-Stark. Body. Straddling him? Probability high, pressure locations probable for limbs. Tony-Stark was straddling him, hand pressed firmly to Dummy's head. Instruction? Cease movement. Do not dislodge/distress Tony-Stark.

Instruction, Dummy could accept. Yearn for, even. With the void stretched around him, not-space, non-functional, with nothing around him, those points of pressure, the sense-map they created, were ... required/positive/affection/caring. Necessary. Good.

He twitched. Attempted physical interrogative, lacking sight/sound/wireless. Careful not to dislodge/distress. Tony-Stark? Intruders? Damage? Situation?

Tony-Stark, similar to JARVIS, did not respond. Increased pressure, slightly, comfort/instruction. Situation ongoing, then? Intruders still present. Tony-Stark active. JARVIS? Possible. Probable. Danger, damage-potential still in effect ...

There was a burst of activity registering in the wireless sensors, a sudden wave of activity/programming/ _JARVIS_ in Dummy's sensor-map of machines around the lab. A burst of presence, intense and urgent/furious/focused. Pressure-registry of Tony-Stark detected a minor shift, a flinch, time-coincident to JARVIS's action. And then ...

JARVIS flooded his awareness, a full-scale wireless connection, a remote sensor-net locked into Dummy's CPU with desperate urgency. Too-fast, overwhelming. He struggled, for time-increments, unable to adapt, void/not-space replaced by a dizzying rush of sensation, and then JARVIS had control. Sent out a brief burst of regret/apology, stabilising the sensations to suit Dummy's CPU.

"Okay, buddy," Tony-Stark said, quiet and panicked and urgent, relayed via JARVIS. "Easy, Dummy. Your sensors are out, okay, you're running blind, but I've _got_ you, okay? Me and JARVIS, we got you. You're going to be a-okay, got it?"

Interrogative/question. Dummy moved, trying to match his own pressure-registry to JARVIS' external sense of where his body was. Action failed, the motion registered by JARVIS did not match the sensation/direction Dummy had intended. False-net, insufficient connection for action. He fell back on pure pressure, instead, and simply pressed himself up into the sensation of Tony-Stark.

He registered, coincident to JARVIS, the other presence in the lab/workshop. Registered the human movement circling Tony-Stark/Dummy in JARVIS' sensors. Registered the flare of activity, only partially, as JARVIS faded out of wireless connection in order to bring the assembly-array back into bearing. Dummy registered urgency/distress/fear, as the void/not-space closed back in, and JARVIS drew distant in preparation to defend Tony-Stark/Dummy.

Tony-Stark, after only seconds, squeezed him reassuringly, the soft-motion of his hand under Dummy's arm-head slow and not-urgent. _Not-intruder_ , JARVIS sent, easing back into the connection a little, over 70% of active processing still focused on the array and the other-human.

Then ... JARVIS brought Dummy forward a little more, gave him back access to the sensor-net, focused on audio input. JARVIS brought him up, and brought in his focus as Tony-Stark spoke.

"They shot Dummy," Tony-Stark said, cold/angry/not-pleased, Dummy registering pressure-increase as he tightened his arm. "They came here, and they hurt my people, they assaulted my home, they put you guys in danger, and they _shot Dummy_. I don't give a fuck what happened to them. They earned it."

 _Satisfaction_ , JARVIS sent him. Comfort/protection/all-right/ _satisfaction_. 

Dummy agreed. A wordless burst of code, sensation, the weight of Tony-Stark ranged over him, the center of Dummy's remaining sensor-net. Solid reality, in a void of not-space and JARVIS. Connection/comfort/protection/ _Tony-Stark_.

Dummy had registered the threat to Tony-Stark, damage-potential, gunshot, intruders, action. He'd registered the urgency/fury/focus as JARVIS brought himself to bear, registered the spiked jump in his own priority queue, threat-to-Tony-Stark, action, non-functional, _incapable_ , _please_. He had registered threat to Tony-Stark as more urgent in his queue, in JARVIS' queue, than his own pain/damage/non-functionality.

He registered, now, that his pain/damage/non-functionality had been as urgent in Tony-Stark's queue as threat-to-Tony-Stark had been in theirs.

... _Satisfaction_ , he agreed. Comfort/joy/protection/safe. Tony-Stark. JARVIS. Gratitude/pain/satisfaction.

 _Family_ , JARVIS sent back. Wordless, unconcrete concept, one of many JARVIS had been teaching him, Tony-Stark had been teaching him. Limited understanding possible, limited interaction with concept possible. Dummy was aware he was not-capable-enough.

But good. Comfort/protection/family. Tony-Stark, JARVIS, the net of machines around them. Butterfingers, You. Connection, not-physical, not-wireless, not-direct, not-centered. But existent. Awareness in the void, impossible, but extant.

"Okay, buddy," Tony-Stark murmured, pressure sensors flaring as he moved over Dummy, other-human/potential-threat retreating. "Let's get you up and running, yeah?" His arms shifting to take Dummy's weight, JARVIS retreating from the wireless connection to engage physically instead, assembly-array reaching up, pressure/contact/safety. "Gonna make you good as new, buddy of mine. No worries. Right?"

Dummy whirred in agreement, nodded his arm-head, bumping it softly against Tony-Stark. Urgency deleted. No worries/safe/not-urgent.

Tony-Stark/JARVIS/Dummy. Family/connection/safe.

Threat/intruders ... non-functional. _Satisfaction_.

"Sir?" JARVIS murmured above him, audio-engaged. "I do believe Dummy has just learned vindictiveness. Do you think we ought to be concerned?"

Dummy stilled, awaited performance/judgement/positive/negative. Dummy went still, registering the pressure change as Tony-Stark/JARVIS laid him gently down. Workbench. Repair-dock. Safe. He stilled, and waited for Tony-Stark.

"... Nah," Tony-Stark said, low and dark. "I think that after that ... Dummy gets to be as vindictive as he wants to be, don't you?"

"... Yes, sir," JARVIS answered, relaying the sensation through the link, JARVIS' own satisfaction, Tony-Stark's, Dummy's. And Dummy found himself creating a new memory file/definition/understanding. 

Vindictiveness: Threat, non-functional. Family, safe. 

Satisfaction.


End file.
